Home Extension Heaven: Outfitting Your Home For Leisurely Living

Australian studio MCK Architects were asked to transform a modest bungalow into a dreamy home where the garden would naturally flow inside. The result is magnificent, breaking our mental boxes enough to see this home extension bud and flower under the Australian sun. “On first visiting the site we were met with a modest bungalow perched on a hill overlooking Vaucluse House. The clients were equally modest, simply needing more space for their family with better connection to the garden, sunlight and air.” Needles to say the owners got more than their bargained for.

The award-winning architects based in Sydney, Australia, imagined a home inviting to socialization and laughter both indoors and out. They worked in close collaboration with Sydney-based Spirit Level Design in creating a home environment sprinkled with panoramic views of the surrounding garden. This modern bungalow turned dream home conveys a feeling of freedom matched with sophistication and freshness:

“The garden was very important, and it became intrinsic to the design. A large rock that sat in the hill to the rear of the house became our focal and pivotal natural element in the new architectural composition. With the underlying philosophy of relative modesty, the new form is setback, maintaining existing amenity enjoyed by neighbours.

The first floor is concealed in the black roof form, providing a recessive appearance from the street, nestling into the landscape. Resting on two legs at opposite corners allowed the possibility of a clear opening to the garden at ground and main living level. Opening like an eye to the sky and trees it folds along the perimeter of the plan. When describing to the client the experience one might feel standing in the lounge room looking out, the analogy of a skirt was used and then stuck, hence skirt and rock.”

Photographs by photographer Richard Glover reveal details that uniquely embed this home in its surroundings. Seeing more of the architect’s portfolio offers you a glimpse into their vision. Their work includes a 1960’s house in Sydney replaced with an intriguingly modern version of itself – the Flipped House – and the delightfully renovated and enhanced North Bondi House that sacrifices space in order to bring in more light.